Time and Time Again
by Shaim
Summary: Maybe conversations between Freddie and Sam don't always revolve around who hates each other more. Maybe this statement is completely false.
1. What a beach!

It was only 6:00 in the morning when Sam Puckett, a well known sadist, was banging on Freddie's doors. There was some yelling behind them, but Sam disregarded it and kept pounding her fists on the oak frames. Soon, it swung open and a disheveled, brown-haired boy was standing in front of her, his eyes halfway shut from sleep.

"Come on dork. We're going to the beach!" Sam said, shaking the boy by his shoulders. "You have five minutes to get ready."

Freddie shook his head in response and then muttered something about not having any manners and going without him. Sam clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Listen, nub! If you don't go you might never have the opportunity to see Carly in a swimsuit, ever!" She exclaimed. "It's a one time chance."

Freddie nodded, his enthusiasm still absent. "Give me at least fifteen minutes." He said.

"Nope. You've got only five. I'll be counting." She walked away from the door. Freddie rolled his eyes and staggered back inside; his mother was sitting on the couch, ready to lecture him.

Despite the annoying voice of his mother, Freddie had enough time to wash his face, thus removing the sleep from his eyes, brush his teeth and throw on some trunks and a t-shirt. His mother packed some sunscreen, bug-spay (as if you'd need that to go swimming), and other "necessary" items. Freddie kissed her good bye and was out the door before she could change her mind on letting him go. He was about to knock on the doors to the Shay apartment when they swung open and out came Sam. She held a large chunk of beef jerky in one of her hands.

"You're late, Fredork!" Sam said, passing him by. "Guess you won't be seeing Carly in a swimsuit after all."

Freddie ignored Sam and walked inside the apartment. He called out the names of his friends in hope that they were still inside. At least one of them was bound to be; the doors were unlocked.

"Freddie, I am still getting dressed. Just go to the lobby." Carly yelled from the floor above. He turned around and left the apartment, dragging the bag behind him as he walked down the stairs to the lobby. It was, as always, empty and he felt almost glad that Sam wasn't there to pick on him. Freddie was, however, glad too soon for a certain blond-headed monster soon appeared, still chewing on the beef jerky. She, surprisingly, said nothing to Freddie and sat herself down on one of the nearby seats.

"I think I'm getting sick." Sam said eventually, holding her stomach with her free hand. On her face was a pained expression.

"It might be from all the meat you've had this morning." Freddie reasoned, taking one quick look at her irritated face. "No one asked you, dork!" She retorted.

They must have sat in the lobby for a while before Carly finally appeared. She wore a yellow sundress topped off with a large straw hat.

"I'm wearing my swimsuit underneath" She said when Sam raised an eyebrow. They walked out of the lobby and into the parking lot; Spencer was already waiting for them in the car. Despite much agitation and arguing, Sam and Freddie ended up sitting together in the back while Carly, with her large hat, had the front seat all to herself.

The ride to the beach was surprisingly quiet, and Sam muttered not more than three words on the whole way there. She had by that time finished her beef jerky and starred into the window, as if interested in the dull traffic. Freddie was surprisingly glad that Sam had not bothered him and used this opportunity to listen to some music.

When the car came to a halt, everyone hopped out of it, excluding Sam. She still sat staring into the window despite the fact that Carly was waving her hands right in front of her face.

"Come one Sam, we're here!" Carly chirped. After a few moments, Sam crawled out of the car. She walked behind Spencer who was often distracted by the wonderful view. Her hand was still on her stomach and the annoyed expression was still on her face. Sam must have felt sick. After they landed themselves a nice spot on the beach, Spencer was out building sandcastles, Carly was applying sunscreen, and Sam was sitting on the towel, her mouth aghast and eyes cloudy. Freddie debated whether to ask Sam if she was alright, but felt scared that he might get a punch in the face if he spoke to her. So instead, he removed the shirt and ran into the ocean, basking in the glory of summer.

When he came back to take a break, Carly was chatting with some blond guy he has never seen before. Somewhere deep inside there was a ping of pain, but Freddie reasoned that he was finally pulling himself away from the unhealthy obsession. It was nearly impossible that Carly would ever change her mind and come running to him. She had many other guys to choose from. Feeling a mixture of relief and sadness inside, Freddie flopped himself on his towel and opened a pack of chips which he snuck from home. The sky was clear, the sun shone brightly and everyone around him was happy. Everyone except Sam Puckett, that is. She was lying on a towel some meters away from him. Her shirt and shorts were off to reveal a swimsuit, which all though modern did not reveal too much skin. Her eyes were shut, but her face still showed signs of discomfort. Freddie wished she would feel better, but scoffed at himself for ever wishing something other than death for Sam Puckett.

The day was going pretty great. No one tried stealing Freddie's food; no one pinched, punched or elbowed him; and no one teased or nagged him. He was so relaxed that it was almost hard to believe. Lying on his stomach, Freddie watched as Carly sunbathed a couple of meters away from his towel. Her eyes were shut, her hair was tied carefully behind her head and her chest moved up and down in a normal process of breathing. With a turn of his head, Sam was now in the centre of Freddie's attention. She was still sleeping, her hair spread across her shoulders in a wild manner. The wind must have blown it around as she slept. This was the second time Freddie thought of Sam in a friendly manner today.

The sun was beginning to burn hotter; it was nearing noon. Freddie applied another coat of sunscreen, just to make sure he didn't burn. Carly was doing the same to Spencer, who refused to do it himself and instead, busied around with a sand sculpture. Freddie was sitting on the towel, drinking some orange juice he got from the cooler and looking over the ocean. The water sparkled under the sun, arraying in multiple hues of blue and green. A group of giggling girls passed by; they sent him flirty smiles and hair flips, which Freddie marveled at. Since when was he getting attention? In the midst of his strange thought process, a face of a familiar blond-haired friend popped into his head. He wondered what had triggered her appearance in his mind, but stopped as he remembered that Sam was still sleeping under the open sun. He got off the towel and walked over to her, wondering whether this was doing any good. Sam was most likely to wake up in rage, hit him around and not listen to him. Freddie went along with it anyways.

"Sam, wake up!" He whispered, gently shaking her by the shoulder. No response.

"Sam, you're lying out in the sun. You'll burn like that." Freddie tried, but it was once again, hopeless. He tried whispering her name a couple of times more, and when that didn't work, he shook her violently by the shoulders. "Sam, wake up!" He yelled. Sam's eyes opened slowly, it seemed as though she was waking up from a good dream. Eventually her eyes opened fully, and Freddie saw that they mimicked the ocean in front of them, a bright, dancing blue.

"What the hell are you doing Benson?" She yelled just as she could see his face clearly.

"You don't have sunscreen on and you'll burn in the sun." Freddie stated, trying not to look into her eyes. She was like Medusa, one look and you're stone.

"I don't need any sunscreen, nub." Sam said, getting up from the towel. "Now get out of my way" She added, elbowing Freddie as she walked past. He watched as she staggered to the water and then disappeared in it. It wasn't as bad as he envisioned it to be; Sam had not killed him. Thinking that his job was done, Freddie sat back down on his towel, a computer program manual in his hand. He skimmed through it, being unable to concentrate on anything. Sam kept creeping back into his mind and he felt sick of being reminded of her so much. This was one of the first days in which Sam hasn't bickered at him and he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

Fighting the thoughts had not worked so Freddie threw the manual into the sand and walked to the water, skimming through the unfamiliar faces to try and find Sam. Once in the water itself, he noticed that Sam had swum beyond the shallow area which meant she was playing with fire. Hadn't she been sick only hours ago? Promising himself to keep a watch over her, Freddie enjoyed a little swim. He floated a bit on his back, treaded water and was about to leave when he heard a cry. Not surprisingly enough, it was Sam. She was now farther than he remembered her being and was evidently drowning. Without much time to think things over, Freddie swam to her. Sam was flailing her arms; her pleading for help captured the attention of some other swimmers. Not wasting any time, Freddie grabbed the drowning Sam by the waste and held her close so she wouldn't go under the water. Instead of calming down in his arms however, Sam began kicking her savior. One of her kicks eventually ended up aiming at the place that shouldn't be kicked. Sharp pain travelled through Freddie's lower abdomen, and having no control of anything at the moment, he let go of Sam and started drowning himself. Water filled his lungs and the last thing he could see was the clear blue of Sam's eyes as she stared at him, frightened.

He had no knowledge of what happened after he lost consciousness, but when he saw the blue of Sam's eyes, Freddie was sure that he was still alive. The chances of them both being dead were unlikely.

"I think he's awake!" Carly exclaimed after he groaned.

"He's awake all right!" Sam agreed, poking him in the side. "You almost drowned, dear Fredork!" she added with wide grin. Freddie tried sitting up.

"Because you wouldn't hold still while I tried to save _you_ from drowning." He said irritably.

"Whatever, nub. I didn't ask you to save me, you took the risk yourself." Sam replied, her grin disappearing.

"Guys, stop arguing!" Carly cut in, waving her large hat in their faces.

"Well _sorry_ for wanting to save you from drowning! Maybe it was a better idea to watch you die." Freddie yelled, moving away from Carly's hat and Sam's angered face.

"Maybe you should have! Then nothing would stand in your way of stalking Carly all day long!" Sam retorted.

"Guys, stop it!" Carly cut in again, but after seeing that neither of them were listening, she walked away, and rightfully so.

"Pah-lease Sam, stop acting so ungrateful and admit that you're glad I saved you!" Freddie finally said, and walked away.

His limbs were sore and so was his chest. He was angry, mostly at Sam who didn't even care for the fact that he risked his life trying to save her. All she ever wanted to do was tease him.

Sam sat on the towel and watched as Freddie staggered into the distance. She sighed irritably, and looked at the sky. The sun was blazing hot.

"You should apologize to him," Carly said as she reappeared. "He did save you after all."

Sam glared at her friend. She didn't want to admit that she was wrong in teasing Freddie about something she made him do.

"I didn't kick him on purpose." Sam said, stretching her arms, then hissing in pain. "I got sunburned and when he touched me, it hurt really badly. I wanted him to let go, but he kept holding on." She elaborated.

"I know Sam, but he was only trying to help. In any case, I doubt he had any idea about your sunburn." Carly said while adjusting her ponytail.

"He was the one who woke me up to warn me that I'll burn." Sam retorted, happy to find a comeback.

"Sam, just admit you're wrong. Go and apologize." Carly persisted.

"Carly, I can't. It's Fredork we're talking about. I can't just say sorry."

"Sam, stop with your drama. Go and apologize or you won't be getting any of my ham, ever!" The brunette threatened, waging her finger at perplexed Sam.

"Fine, I am going!" She said and ran, trying to catch up to the black dot that was Freddie.

Sam was really against apologizing to Freddie, even if a tiny voice in her head and the loud voice of her friend kept saying otherwise. She ran behind Freddie until she caught up to him, slapping her hand on his back to make him stop. His face showed confusion and his eyes were darker than usual. Freddie was angry.

"What?" He asked, looking at the bent-over Sam.

"Before I say anything, I just want you to know that this does not give you an advantage over me" Sam said, her breathing still rapid. "You are still a big dork and nothing can change it!" Freddie raised an eyebrow.

"I apologize!" Sam yelled out. "I apologize for kicking you in the balls, and I apologize for being ungrateful when I should have thanked you for trying to save me."

Freddie's face expression changed from angry to surprised and lastly, to amused. Sam clicked her tongue. "I told you not to get the wrong idea!" She warned.

"I forgive you, ok?" Freddie said. "I forgive you for the kick and for the teasing. Happy?" Sam narrowed her eyes. "I don't care about being forgiven." She retorted. "Carly just begged for me to apologize so I don't hurt your feelings."

"Is that so? Well, I don't need your apology." Freddie exclaimed. "You can take it back!"

"I don't want it back!"

"I don't want it either!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They stood facing each other, waiting for another word to slip out of their opponent's mouths, and wondering who the first person to walk away would be. Freddy was the one, he took one last look at Sam, her eyes shone brightly as always, and turned around. She mimicked his actions and they started walking in opposite directions.


	2. I SAW you sleep!

The next day, Sam was as always sitting on the couch of Shay's living room. Carly was baking muffins in the kitchen, talking about the guy she met on the beach. Sam was half-asleep; she could care less about some blonde hunk and was tired from the night before.

After her fight with Freddie, Sam walked back to Carly who looked at her friend with a distinctively disapproving look, but remained silent. They gathered all their things, Carly going as far as folding Freddie's towel and disposing of his garbage. Finally, they were in the car; Sam had a mischievous grin on her face because she scored herself the front seat. Little did she know that her friend had originally intended to let her have it; Carly thought it'd be better for the two not to sit together on the way back. However, something was stopping them from leaving, and that thing was Freddie. After his quarrel with Sam, he had walked in the opposite direction and has since not appeared. Carly kept voicing her worries about the brown-haired boy, and Sam did all in her ability to pretend she had not cared. Fact was though, Sam was just as worried. She was conflicted as to why she cared about Freddie, but eventually decided that it was because of her quilt concerning the drowning incident. And in any case, Mrs. Benson would murder her, Carly, and Spencer if they came without him. Yes, that was it! Sam only cared because she didn't want trouble from psycho mom.

A couple of minutes went by, and Carly was now trying to convince Sam to come along and help her look for Freddie. Spencer was back at their original spot, just in case Freddie was waiting for them there.

"Come one Sam! You know where you guys fought. It'll be easier to look for him if we have at least some idea of where he might be." Carly was attempting to reason Sam who had her arms crossed across her chest. "He's our friend, for God's sake!" she added.

Sam looked at Carly from behind her scrunched up eyebrows and clicked her tongue.

"Fine!" she said irritably. The two friends were back on sand, speed walking to the crime scene. Carly kept on ranting about how irresponsible it was of Freddie and how much fault Sam should take upon herself for causing this. "If you hadn't said that stuff, we wouldn't have to look for Freddie now."

Sam rolled her eyes many times on their way, but kept quiet. Somewhere deep inside she knew that Carly was right. If Sam just apologized and left, things would have been significantly easier. However, being Sam meant that whatever happened was meant to.

Eventually they passed through the original spot of the quarrel and walked on, turning their heads around like lighthouse beams.

"I feel like we are on an important mission involving important people." Sam said through a yawn.

"We are on a mission!" Carly reminded "And the important person is our friend, Sam. Freddie is our friend!"

"Sure he is." Sam retorted.

Freddie was standing by the car. He leaned on to it for support and yawned a dozen times before he saw three figures approaching. Two of them walked fast ahead, their voices were loud but incoherent. Freddie waited until they came closer.

"Hey guys!" He greeted his friends, raising an eyebrow at their surprised face expressions. "Where were you?" he asked.

"The question is, where were _you_, nerd?" Sam quickly put out. "I could just strangle you right now!"

"Why'd you do that Freddie?" Carly cut in." We were worried." She said in a fierce but relieved tone.

"I waited for you here for more than an hour!" Freddie confessed, confused from the verbal attacks.

"So you just stood here when Carly and I had to go searching for you?" Sam bellowed. "You are a bigger jerk than I knew you were."

"Sam, Freddie, break it up!" Spencer said, unlocking the car. "What matters is that we're all safe and ready to get movin' outta here!"

Carly agreed to stop there, but Sam thought that Freddie has not been tormented enough for his "escape".

"I can't believe I walked all that way just to find a dumb loser like you. I should have left you to be eaten by the crabs at night."

"Sorry Sam, for being such a dumb loser. Why don't you find someone smarter to pick on?" Freddie retorted "Afraid that they'd outsmart your?"

"Not in the least!" Sam yelled back "I just happen to enjoy making _your_ life miserable."

"Guys, this is enough. I am sick of your constant arguing! What happened to the peaceful moments at the beach, _before_ you both went berserk?" Carly interrupted, hoping that both Sam and Freddie would some day get along.

The drive home was ridiculously long. Sam kept on mumbling to herself, obviously annoyed at not being able to verbally (and maybe physically) attack Freddie. Freddie listened to music and pretended not to care about Sam's insults, but the more she did it, the more it hurt. He looked over to Carly whose face was turned to the window. She hadn't said anything since they've been in the car. Maybe she was angry with him for "running away". Freddie was almost impressed when Sam came to apologize, but of course he couldn't show it. It was upsetting to know that she wasn't acting upon her own will. Freddie wondered what to say to Carly as an apology. Only a year ago he would be convinced that this was the end of his hopes to attract Carly, but now he just wanted to make sure that they were both on good, friendly terms.

By the time Freddie was home, it was already 7:00 pm. His mother was standing over him as he washed his face, and then behind the door as he changed from his trunks into house clothing. She continued the lecture from the morning, something about Sam being a delinquent and his friendship with her ending badly. For once, he wanted to agree with his mother. Sam had given him the hopes that she could be something other than a big, painful splinter in the ass, but that was only because she was sick. And now that she was back to normal, all the time she missed out on tormenting Freddie was to be caught up on.

Sam ended up stuck at the Shay's 'till morning and Carly had made a slumber party out of their get together.

"Don't you need to call your mother?" Carly asked, carrying a large bowl of popcorn from the kitchen.

"Since when?" Sam laughed, stuffing a handful of it in her mouth. "You burned it a little." She added, cringing.

"Whatever Sam, it'll have to do." Carly said, plopping herself down beside her blonde friend. "So what movie is it going to be? _He's just not that into you_ or _P.S. I love you_?"

"Let me think…" Sam said sarcastically. "How about _Saw_? There's meat in it, and you know how much I love meat!"

"It's not meat, Sam" Carly cringed "It's human flesh."

"Same thing." Sam reasoned.

"_He's just not that into_ _you_ it is!" Carly chirped, pretending not to be bothered by Sam's strange opinions. The DVD was inserted and the movie soon started, causing Sam to fall asleep about four times until it was over. When that happy moment arrived, Sam conquered the couch and was already sleeping, even before Carly had made up her sleeping bag on the floor below it.

"Sam?" She whispered ten minutes into their sleep time. "Did you drown on purpose?"

"What?" Sam exclaimed, obviously disturbed "Why would I do that?"

Carly breathed out loudly "I don't know. I just thought that you, well- uh, forget it." She mumbled.

"You thought that I what?" Sam pressured.

"Well, it just looked like something girls do when they want attention from the person they like." Carly blurted out "You know, to see whether they'd save them"

Sam snorted. "You watch way too many chick flicks, my good friend. I'd rather burn in hell than get attention from Freddie!" She added, chuckling. "He's a nub!"

"Yea, but why were you drowning? You can swim." Carly insisted, rising from the floor just enough to see Sam's face.

"I had a stomach cramp, obviously." Sam answered airily. "That's what meat for breakfast does to you!" She joked.

"Oh...Alright." Carly said, disappointed. "Good night!"

"Good night yourself and never bring up this subject again" Sam warned "I might just make you watch Saw, along with its six sequels."

Freddie was lying in his bed by 10:00 pm, but couldn't fall asleep. He tried counting various objects in his head, like fancy electronics and tuna fish, but after giving up on it due to the lack of success, Freddie moved on to thinking of other things. Primarily of a girl he met while running away from the she-devil herself. Her name was Cora. She had pretty tanned skin, eyes that almost mimicked his own and short light brown hair that was barely held up in the ponytail. She had bumped into him while collecting seashells and smiled the largest smile he has ever seen. It was hard to believe that it was directed at him, a dorky kid with no experience with girls. Maybe it was just what Sam had made him think. And there she was again, Sam. Even in his mind, she fiddled with his thoughts, making sure that he wasn't distracted by anything else too much. There was no hiding from Sam Puckett. He wished that one day, he could forget all about her, but the blue of her eyes still lingered in his mind before he fell asleep.

When the morning arrived, Sam couldn't be less ecstatic. She groaned at Carly who ran around with dishes and various ingredients for the muffins while humming a tune. She couldn't wait until Freddie stepped foot into the Shay apartment. Sam was throbbing for a good argument. When this happened, it looked exactly like what Sam imagined, and not at all like what Freddie imagined. He had woken up in the morning, his ribs and legs still sore, and after his daily routine, he decided to visit Carly. He had expected her to be alone, a perfect opportunity for him to apologize for the day before, but should been less surprised to see Sam stretched out on the couch like it was no one's business. He greeted both his friends, and left it to Sam to find a witty response.

"My day would have been better if you didn't show up, Fredork!" She said, apparently satisfied with Freddie's unimpressed expression.

"I am sure it would!" He said casually, watching Carly make muffins.

"Its bad luck to have dorks watching you bake Carly. The muffins might come out looking like testicles." Sam said matter-of-factly. "And if that happens, I am stuffing them down your very own throat, nub!"

"Yumm" Freddie replied sarcastically. "Make sure to wear gloves when you do it. I don't want your greasy, dirty hands soiling my throat."

"I'll make sure they are extra dirty then."

"Please spare my throat, oh Big Dirty Queen of Dirt!" Freddie yelled out and walked out of view.


	3. Lost Your Touch!

Carly, Freddie and Sam were all sitting in a small shabby bubble tea shop, far away from home. It had been Freddie's idea to hang out after another episode of iCarly had been shot, and that idea had just backfired. The three friends had walked all the way to some unknown area in the city and ended up being completely lost. What's worse was that Mrs. Benson was at work and couldn't pick them up and Spenser was unavailable. No one said anything about Sam's mother because they all knew it was pointless hope. The summer had only started and already so much unplanned trouble claimed its presence.

"It's all your fault, Benson." Sam said while making loud sipping sounds. She kept on blaming Freddie for everything, though it was her fault they got off course. She wanted to visit the candy shop that lead them off their original track and then won the argument against Freddie about the way that lead them back. She didn't win fairly though, because Freddie was left with a bruise on his side from her wild elbowing.

"Sam, it's not his fault. We just got confused with the way and that's all." Carly suggested, being the only calm person in this situation.

"Thanks to Fredward!" Sam retorted, giving Freddie a death glare.

"You know Sam, I wouldn't be talking if I were you." Freddie began "You were the one who pestered us to go to Candy Emporium and then took it upon yourself to lead us back…into the _unknown_!" He exclaimed, angered by Sam's constant blaming.

Sam was about to say something in return, but words seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth and she couldn't get them out. She gave Freddie a warning stare, then turned her head around to look outside.

"It's getting darker" she muttered. And so it was. Being that it was summer meant longer days, but even that couldn't help when the weather outside was cloudy.

"We should at least try to get our way back." Carly suggested while looking outside herself. "I don't want to spend the night out here." She added frowning at her dead phone. And that was that. Sam, Carly and Freddie got off the elevated chairs in the shop; making sure to quickly devour the last of their bubble tea's beforehand.

The wind blew harshly across their faces and Freddie wished he had checked the weather forecasts before heading out with the gang. It was bound to storm, or at least rain. Despite feeling a little unsure about what good looking for a way out would do, seeing as Spencer was still unavailable and Mrs. Benson would have no opportunity to pick them up until later, he tried leading the way. Behind him, Carly and Sam spoke of various things that Freddie tried not to eavesdrop on.

"We passed through this store, did we not?" He asked the girls for reassurance.

"Yea we did, nub!" Sam agreed, smacking him on the back.

"It shouldn't be much farther until we reach the main intersection." Freddie decided walking ahead.

The three friends walked faster, as if it would save them from the inevitable storm. The sky was gloomy and grey clouds covered most of it. Moments later, it started pouring.

"Crap!" Sam yelled, trying to cover her head with her hands. "The rain in cold!"

Unlike both of her friends, Sam thought herself too good for bringing an extra sweater for emergency. Carly, who carried around a bag, had revealed to have a hooded pullover, which wouldn't help in not getting wet but would lessen the cold.

The rain continued and even though they found a small café to dry off at, Sam still shivered. Her arms were covered with goose bumps and she let out small breaths, her teeth chattering. Freddie watched her and felt sorry. He was thankful that his mother had forced him in bringing a light jacket.

"My hair is ruined!" Carly exclaimed, twisting out the water. "This is the most unfortunate hang out we've had in a while."

In a way she was completely right. They were lost, wet, and cold. They had some idea about how to get home, but the freezing rain outside made it nearly impossible. While waiting for the storm to pass, they all warmed themselves with a cup of hot chocolate each. Freddie kept on stealing glances at Sam, who was still shivering unstoppably. She said absolutely nothing throughout their wait, and Freddie felt like helping her out.

"Sam?" He called "You look cold."

"I am cold!" She answered, raising her eyebrow at Freddie's sympathetic face.

"Why don't you take my jacket?" He suggested, fearing that Sam might hit him for the pity.

"I don't need your jacket, and besides, your mother would kill me if she found out that I took away your only means of surviving the harsh storm, dumbass!" Sam answered through her teeth, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I am not cold." Freddie said sympathetically. He didn't know why he insisted on it so much. Sam always jumped on the opportunity to make his life worse, yet he was trying to make hers better. What in the world was he doing?

"I said that I don't want it!" She pressured.

"Sam, just take it." Carly said firmly. "You are only wearing a measly t-shirt. Freddie has a long sleeved shirt on."

Sam gritted her teeth at both of her friends, but accepted the jacket when Freddie pulled it over her body. It was warm and had a distinctive Freddie feel and smell. She wiggled her nose.

"You sure you won't sue me for this?" She asked, watching Freddie pull the sleeves over his hands.  
"Positive." He replied, smiling at his own brilliancy. Maybe he wasn't sure about why he gave his jacket to Sam, but he was sure that it would stop her from teasing him, at least for a while. Appreciation and guilt affect everyone.

Sam watched as Freddie sipped his hot chocolate. Although she was still cold, her vigorous shaking was lessened to a slight shiver and for that she was thankful. Sam didn't know why Freddie had given her the jacket, but she figured it must have been something to make her feel guilty with and not target him for a while. Silly nub!

Freddie kept looking over Sam's shoulder to see whether the rain has ceased and each time she felt disappointed that he wasn't looking at her. She didn't know where the disappointment come from and felt almost stupid to think about Freddie that way. She was surrounded by the bitter smell of his cologne; it irritated her nose a little seeing as it was Freddie's but it almost felt comfortable. Sam shook her head in confusion. Since when did she spend time thinking about Freddie?

The storm slowly passed away, and just as it did so, Carly, Sam and Freddie were both on their way. The sky was still dark, but compared to what it looked like minutes ago, it was beautiful. Carly had a hood over her head, cursing at the wetness of her hair.

"It looks awful" She said to Sam as they followed Freddie. Sam was distracted to the point where she barely heard Carly's comments.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I said that my hair looks horrible. Rain water made it frizzy and wet at the same time. Is that even possible?" She ranted. Sam only nodded. She didn't care about the state of her hair, and reasoned that it was probably large and unruly. She would have to wash it when she came home.

"You're so quiet." Carly said with a small grin. "Something happened?" she questioned.

"Shit happened, like you don't know!" Sam said irritably. She wanted to mention something about it being Freddie's fault, but once again, the words were stuck to the roof of her mouth. Sam let out a big sigh.

"Yea, yea…" Carly rolled her eyes. "I am sure that's the reason"

"What in the world do you mean, woman?" Sam questioned, her voice rising.

"Nothing, nothing at all" Carly grinned and Sam gritted her teeth.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I am even friends with you."

"Because I supply an unlimited amount of food for you to devour?" Carly suggested, the smile on her face growing.

"I don't even know…" Sam mumbled, obviously not amused.

Two hours later, Sam was stretched out on Carly's couch. Freddie had found the way home, after much walking and much yelling, from Sam's side. It was only 7:00 pm when they stepped foot into the Shay apartment.

"I seriously don't ever want to go anywhere with you again." Sam said with her mouth full of the muffins Carly made a couple of days before.

"No one really asks you to come, you know!" Freddie retorted. Sam tried saying something back, but the muffin did not allow her to do so coherently.

"Well, at least we're home and we're safe!" Carly exclaimed drying her hair off. She had just gotten out of the shower.

"We're not safe from Fredward yet!" Sam said, gulping down the muffin. She was about to punch him on the shoulder, when he grabbed her fist in his hand. Freddie smiled at his own triumph but raised an eyebrow when Sam's eyes widened and she just stood there, staring at his grip. He felt that danger might be approaching and let go, pretending it never happened.

"Don't ever touch me again!" Sam yelled, huffing and puffing with anger. Freddie looked at her with surprise. Since when was she so sensitive? And in any case, he was only preventing her from punching him.

Sam went back to the kitchen and grabbed another muffin. Carly looked at her friend wide-eyed, a small grin on her face; like she knew something that both Sam and Freddie did not.

"Break it up guys!" She warned happily "Let's get something to eat!"

Freddie and Sam sat as far away from each other as the couch allowed them. Sam was nibbling on ham and Freddie toyed with the remote control. Carly watched them. Freddie stole glances at Sam, who looked straight ahead of herself and pretended not to be bothered by the fact that they were watching a DYI home décor show. Her eyes were still the feature that stood out most in Freddie's mind; he wondered why it wasn't her torturing personality. With each glance, Freddie mentally smacked himself across the face. He wasn't supposed to be looking at Sam in that way. She was a pain in the ass that made Freddie's life excruciatingly hard. She was nothing good, nothing holy and nothing that was worth his precious time. One more glance and then - a sneeze, right in Sam's face.

She turned to look at him with the expression of complete fury.

"Did you just sneeze in my face, dork?" She asked, baring her teeth. Freddie gasped.

"Sorry, it was an accident!" He apologized, waving his hands in front of his face as a way to protect himself from punches aimed there.

"_You_ are the accident!" Sam yelled back, leaning in to wipe her face on his shirt. "Prepare to die!" She said calmly.


	4. Sickly and Prickly!

Freddie was lying in bed, sick. His mother, being a nurse, took care of him while lecturing about always carrying an umbrella and extra sweaters. Freddie moaned. He hadn't mentioned giving his jacket to Sam the other day; his mother would have thrown a bigger fit.

"Where's this bruise from?" Marissa Benson asked as she examined her son. Freddie flinched. "It's, uh…I bumped on the side of the table yesterday." He lied.

His mother left for work a little later, making sure that everything Freddie needed was by the bed. She warned him about getting up and walked out of the room.

Freddie could finally relax. He loved his mother more than anything but wished that she would stop making him feel so dependant on her. There would come a time when he'd have to leave the home nest.

Freddie had a skull-splitting headache and on top of that, he was slowly losing his voice. Soon it was a hoarse whisper. Being unable to perform anything with a headache, Freddie allowed himself to fall asleep. His eyelids burned when he shut them and soon he was in the world of slumber, careless and free.

While Freddie suffered from an illness, Sam and Carly played cards over at the Shay apartment.

"Where's Fredork?" Sam questioned, feeling weird that he still hasn't showed up.

"I don't know Sam" Carly answered, shuffling the cards in her hands. "Maybe he's busy, you never know."

"Busy?" Sam laughed. "Busy with what? Clipping his toenails until they are even?" She suggested. Carly laughed, but said nothing. They continued their game of cards for another quarter of an hour before Sam brought up the subject again.

"I can't believe the nub's not here yet!" She said, looking at her cards with a displeased expression.

"Why do you care so much?" Carly asked, a grin adorned her face. "Care to tell your best friend?"

Sam clenched her teeth and sucked air in. "Jesus, Carly! I need to torment someone, and my lab mouse hasn't shown up!"

"Is that so?" Carly mused. "Well, why don't you check in on him? He's probably at home."

"Care to join me?" Sam asked, throwing the cards back on the table.

"I'll pass, thanks." Carly answered and did the same. She then got up and waited until Sam was out the door. She heard her muttering obscenities.

Sam was standing in front of Freddie's door, but couldn't knock. What if he was doing something important and she was just intruding? What if he didn't want to see her? What if-

"Wait a second!" she exclaimed to herself. Since when did she care about what Freddie was doing and whether she bothered him? Her _job_ was to bother him. Sam knocked, then banged and finally kicked the door. There was no response.

"Fredward, open up!" She shouted, kicking the door harder. Still nothing.

Freddie was suddenly aroused from his sleep by vigorous kicking of the front door. Scared that it might be robbers, Freddie staggered out of bed and grabbed a nearest vase, just to be sure. He tiptoed to the door and looked in the eye-hole. He should have known that it would be Sam. Relaxing his muscles, he unlocked the door and let her in.

"Hey dork-" She said, her eyes widening "What's the vase for?"

"To kill you with." Freddie answered in his hoarse whisper and followed Sam into his room. She said nothing about the vase.

"You're sleeping when you should be at Carly's suffering my torments?" Sam asked, watching Freddie put the vase down and hop back into bed.

"I am sick, Sam." He retorted, pointing to the red nose and blood-shot eyes. "Why else would I sound like a tractor?"

"Because you're happy to see me?" Sam joked, sitting down at his feet.

"I couldn't be happier. Really!" Freddie answered sarcastically. "Where's Carly?"

"The love of your life didn't want to see a sick nerd like yourself." Sam said, poking him in the chest for effect.

Freddie nodded. He was a little disappointed that Carly didn't even show the least bit of interest when it came to him, but recoiled just as soon as he started wondering about why Sam was here.

"So why did you come?" He asked "Missed me or something?"

Sam looked at him. "Missed torturing you!"

Time went by really slowly for Sam and Freddie. Sam was still sitting on his bed, now chewing on her nails as if it was meat and Freddie watched her, waiting for something but not aware of what.

"I hate that you're sick!" Sam said finally, breaking the tension. "It's really boring when you're not around for me to make fun of." She paused "I can't make fun of someone who is sick."

"It never stopped you before!" Freddie mumbled.

"I was never the one to make you sick!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes widening when she realized that she just voiced her concern. Fact was, somewhere deep inside, Sam knew that it was her fault Freddie was sick. She should have not accepted the jacket then.

Freddie stared at Sam, whose face was turned away from him. He wondered whether she actually meant what she said. Sam on the other hand, waited for Freddie to say something; the silence was making her feel horrible.

"You're supposed to say that it's not true!" Sam finally exclaimed. Freddie furrowed his brows.

"What?"

"I said that you're supposed to tell me that it wasn't my fault." Sam repeated angrily.

"But it was!" he said reluctantly "It is your fault that I'm sick!" he exclaimed. "If it wasn't for your carelessness about bringing a sweater, I wouldn't have had to give you my jacket and then I wouldn't be sick!"

"I never asked you to give it to me!" Sam retorted, jumping off the bed in rage.

"I couldn't just watch you shake from cold." He yelled back, rising his head from the pillow to see Sam clearly.

"I don't see why not!" She said, her eyes lit by the anger.

"Because you're my goddamn friend, Sam." Freddie answered. He was sitting on the bed, flailing his arms at her "I know it doesn't mean much to you, but I consider you a friend."

"Friends don't blame each other for shit they did!" Sam retorted, walking out of the room.

"I could say the same to you." Freddie yelled after her, his voice breaking from the strain. He heard the front door slam shut and he knew that Sam had left.

At first he was relieved. He didn't understand Sam at all lately, with her visit to him and then with her strange comments. This was more like the Sam he knew. Later, however, he felt as though he was at fault for causing the fight. And then after another hour and a short nap, Freddie decided that it was time for Sam to take the blame. He was sick of everything always being his responsibility, and this time he wouldn't apologize.

Sam had walked into the Shay apartment, yelling about the idiot that was Freddie Benson.

"He said that it was my fault that he got sick!" She yelled at Carly, who sat on the couch and watched Sam pace around the room. "I knew I shouldn't have accepted his damn jacket." She continued "It was just too good to be true."

"To good to be true?" Carly repeated, intrigued.

"I don't see why he would ever do anything nice to me!" Sam yelled "I torture him day in and day out. I don't want his pity and I wish that I would be the one sick right now. Just so I can spit it in his _face_!" She raged.

"Sam, you have to calm down." Carly motioned for Sam to sit. "Freddie is sick and I am sure he has no idea what he's talking about. Just give him a break."

"He doesn't deserve one!" Sam pressed on.

"If I didn't know better, I would think that you're in love with him," Carly said irritably "seeing as you rage about him and talk about him when he's not here."

Sam clenched her teeth. "I am not in love with that nub!" she retorted "And I'll never, ever be! Mark my words!"

"Fine!" Carly yelled. "I believe you, just please, for the love of God, calm the heck down."

A little later, Carly and Sam were once again playing cards. This time, just as last time, Sam couldn't concentrate. The words her friend has spoken kept replaying in her mind like a broken tape. "You're in love with him" "You're in love with him" "You're in love with him" it kept on saying. Sam knew that this was pure lies because there was no way she could ever think of Freddie as more than a nub, even after the kiss they shared. 'Bunch of bologna!" Sam said, shaking Freddie's face out of her mind.

"What?" Carly asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. "To what were you referring?"

"Nothing." Sam retorted. "Nothing at all."

"Humm" Carly murmured, smiling.

It was around 9:00 pm when Sam left to go home. When Carly was sure that she was no longer in the building, she raced out of the apartment and knocked on the door to her neighbor, Freddie. He opened the door reluctantly, expecting his mother.

"Hi Carly!" He said hoarsely.

"Can I come in?" She asked, following him inside. "Listen Freddie, I have to ask you something."

"What is it?" He asked, sitting himself down on the couch.

"When Sam came back from visiting you, she was really angry. Angry and distracted." Carly began. "I feel like she keeps on thinking about your argument and won't let it rest." She paused. "Now I know that it was probably her fault all along, but could you please apologize to her?"

"Apologize?" Freddie asked, his face surprised.

"Yea, just say you're sorry so that she doesn't continue freaking out about the whole situation"

"Sam is freaking out about it?" Freddie asked in confusion. Since when had Sam cared about silly things like that?

"She's freaking out about you." Carly said, a large smile plastered on her face.


	5. Smooth Smoothie

The next day, Sam as always watched TV in the Shay's apartment, waiting until Carly was done getting dressed. They had both planned to go shopping; Sam was in dire need of a water-proof jacket.

"I really don't know why you want it, especially since its summer. You probably won't even find it anywhere." Carly reasoned as she ate breakfast.

"I need one, just in case I am ever stuck in the rain with the nub again." Sam said, her face lit up with newfound anger.

"Don't you think you're taking this a little too far?" Carly asked, raising her brows.

"Not in the least." She retorted "I have to be prepared for the rain."

"I meant you taking your anger out on Freddie"

Sam gave Carly a death glare, and she just shook her head, quitting the conversation.

Carly had been a little impatient because she expected Freddie to show up any minute and try apologizing to Sam, but he wasn't appearing and she was running short on time. Carly couldn't possibly think up of another important thing to do before they leave.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked enthusiastically, standing at the door.

"Well-" Carly tried, "Yea, let's go!" She locked the door from the other side, and was surprised to hear the door opposite of hers being opened. "Here is it" she told herself.

Freddie staggered from behind the door. His eyes were watery and his nose was red, skin was peeling from it.

"Hey guys." He greeted them, and Sam just rolled her eyes.

"What is it, nuisance?" She asked.

"Actually, I wanted to talk with you." Freddie mumbled "Privately" he added looking at Carly, who caught the hint.

"I'll wait for you outside!" Carly chirped, only to hide behind the staircase. She couldn't miss such a moment.

Sam had her eyebrows raised, waiting for Freddie to start talking. He, on the other hand was scared to begin.

"I wanted to- I wanted to apologize for yesterday" He said hoarsely, his voice shaky. "It was horrible of me to blame you for getting sick, Sam. I didn't really-"

"You're apologizing for standing up for yourself?" Sam asked "You really are a low-life!"

Freddie threw his head backwards; his neck cracked as he did so. "I don't know what to do to make you hate me less." He confessed. "The harder I try, the farther you push me away"

Sam clicked her tongue. "That's because you're trying too hard, nub." She said "You have to realize that the way to a girl's heart is through her stomach."

Freddie smiled "I thought that only worked with guys."

"Not when you're talking about mama!" Sam exclaimed, hitting Freddie on the back. "Guess I won't be needing that rain coat after all!" She mumbled.

"What?"

"I said, welcome back, nub!"

And there it was, just as Carly had hoped it would be. An apology worked like a charm.

"How about we get us some smoothies to disinfect the wound?" Carly suggested, appearing from under the staircase just in time.

"I would, but I need to stay in bed. Sorry." Freddie said, groaning as he headed back to the door.

"How about we get you one and visit you after?" Sam proposed, receiving positive responses from both of her friends. "See ya, dork!" She said before disappearing.

Freddie crawled back into bed with another migraine. It was the second day that he's been sick and the pain was not ceasing. He wished he had magic to turn it all around and be healthy again. Being sick didn't even save him from Sam's clutches. She as always was around to control him at the snap of her fingers. On the other hand, Freddie was nicely surprised when Sam suggested getting a smoothie for him when he couldn't come. Could she be finally warming up to him?

Sam was waiting in line to Groovy Smoothie along with Carly. There were three people in front of them, one being a kid who couldn't make up his mind on what flavor to choose.

"Mind moving your brains faster?" Sam shouted from behind, only to be play-punched by Carly, who looked at her friend with a frown.

"Come on Sam." She said irritably "What flavor are you getting?"

"The usual" Sam answered half-heartedly.

"What about Freddie?"

Sam raised an eyebrow "What about him?"

"Flavor, what flavor of smoothie are you getting him?" Carly questioned with a smile.

"Uh, banana?"

"Why banana?" Carly asked, pushing Sam further into talking about Freddie. Sam shrugged.

"I dunno." She said "He's just a banana kind of guy"

"What made you decide that, Sam?"

"He's soft and mushy and can't stand up for himself." Sam reasoned. "Also, I get to trip him all the time, kind of like how people trip over banana peels." She added.

"You sure gave it a thought!" Carly exclaimed.

"I did not, Carls!" Sam retorted, pushing her friend out of the line.

"Sure…"

When the smoothies were finally purchased, Carly excused herself from the shop and said something about having to go and check up on Spencer, who apparently texted her to tell about being trapped in the bathroom.

"Just to get him unstuck!" She promised Sam, "Give Freddie his smoothie, make sure he doesn't choke on it and before you know it, I'll be back!"

Sam grunted, and stomped away holding both smoothies in her hands. When she got to Freddie's door, Sam kicked it a couple of times. She was unable to knock, not that she wanted to in the first place.

Freddie heard the racket, even though he was napping again. He got up from his bed and opened the door, only to have a smoothie pushed into his chest.

"There you go, nub!" Sam said, loudly slurping her smoothie as she walked inside. "Where's psycho mom?"

"At work" Freddie answered reluctantly, trying to look into his smoothie through the straw.

"You know, if you weren't sick and if I didn't want to clean up the mess, I would probably hit the back of your head, so that straw could slide through your eye socket and exit through your nose, or something." Sam said, noticing Freddie's interest in the straw.

"Well, this is the fist time today that I am glad to be sick." He stated, moving the smoothie far from his face. A small smile crept to his face.

"Glad I could boost your happiness level."

"Speaking of which, where is Carly?" Freddie questioned after a pause.

"I told you already. She wants to be nowhere near your sick soul." Sam answered, sitting herself down on the couch with Freddie nodding behind her unenthusiastically.

Carly was standing behind the door to Freddie's apartment with a glass pressed to her ear. She couldn't hear much, but was still evilly laughing at both of her friends. The story of Spencer getting stuck in the bathroom was of course, completely made up; Carly had suspected that Sam liked Freddie and vise versa and now she was completely sure that it was the case. Carly remembered asking them whether they liked the kiss they shared, to which they never replied. And as everyone knows, silence means "yes".

Sam was lying on the couch, watching a show on the TV, which Freddie was standing over her, waiting for something to happen. He was glad she came to visit him, but was upset at the fact that she completely ignored him. He guessed that he was wrong about thinking that she was warming up to him.

"Hey Sam!" he called out

"What's up, Fredork?" She replied, her eyes still glued to the television screen.

"Mind lowering the volume? My head hurts." He said, trying to find an excuse to make Sam talk.

"Why don't you go into your room and sleep then?" Sam retorted, waving her hand at him. "Sick people should rest."

"I haven't finished my smoothie yet." Freddie said instantaneously. He shook it in front of Sam, as visual proof.

"Then allow me to finish it for you." Sam said, grabbing it out of Freddie's grip and sucking out of the straw loudly. At first, Freddie was too surprised to say anything. Then, completely irritated with Sam's behavior, he opened the entrance doors and-

"Uh, Freddie!" Carly greeted, hiding the glass behind her back. "Hi, uh I was just coming to visit, actually!" She laughed nervously.

Freddie raised an eyebrow. "We're you eavesdropping?" He asked cautiously.

"What? Eavesdropping? No!" Carly lied

"What's the glass for then?"

"I brought it to get some water from your kitchen. Uh, Spencer is doing something there!" She lied again, her ears red from being caught.

"Oh" Freddie said and let her inside, locking the door behind him. "Tell Sam to get off my couch." He asked, pointing to the blonde girl.

"Why don't you just sit beside her?" Carly suggested.

"I don't want to sit down on the couch; I just want her to get off of it."

"Tough Bologna, nub. I ain't getting off." Sam yelled

Freddie gave her a death glare. "Fine" he said calmly. Giving Carly a mischievous look, to which she smiled knowingly, he went right up to Sam, and sat right on top of her.

At first, not even Sam knew what to do. Freddie's back was pressed against her face and she was too surprise to move. A couple of seconds later, the fact that Freddie's back was pressed against her face started to sink in, and she grunted uneasily.

"Gerrrrroffff meee!" She yelled into Freddie, trying to push him away with her head. "You're sitting on ma arms. It hurts!"

Freddie wasn't sure why he decided to sit on Sam, but at the time he was functioning on an impulse. When Sam started yelling, her breath hitting against his back, he finally gave in.

"Ok, I'm letting you go this time." He said as he got off of her. She stared at him for a while before saying

"You better hide, because if you don't, you're dead, Benson!" Freddie gulped. Maybe sitting on Sam wasn't such a good idea after all.


	6. Falling in and falling out!

Freddie stared at Sam, who was fast approaching with a remote control she held in her hand.

"This is it, Fredward!" She warned "Better say your last prayers, fast!" Freddie gulped, turning his face away from Sam just so she wouldn't smack him there.

In the background, Carly was begging Sam to stop, but it was a futile try. She wouldn't stop half-way.

"Sam, come to your senses!" Carly yelled "Freddie is sick, don't hurt him even more!"

"Shut up Carly!" Sam retorted angrily, looking at Freddie with her ocean blue eyes. They were bright, lit up with revenge. Finally, Sam was standing over the hunched Freddie. She swung her arm, and-

Nothing.

Freddie winced, expecting for the blow to come any second, but it didn't. He opened his eyes. Sam was standing over him, her eyes wide, mouth opened, arm still in the air. She looked confused more than anything.

"Sam?" Freddie asked cautiously. "What's wrong?"

She didn't reply. Sam put her arm down, threw the remote on the couch and walked to the door.

"Looks like your prayers worked." She said before running out.

Both Freddie and Carly were dumbstruck. They stared at the door for five minutes waiting for Sam to come back; just as aggressive as she was a couple of minutes before. Finally, Carly moved.

"What was that?" She asked, her eyebrows higher than usual. Freddie shook his head; he had no idea. Carly only smiled.

"I'll wait for her at home. She's bound to come back eventually." She said, patting Freddie on the back before heading out as well.

Sam was standing in front of some park she's never seen before. She wrapped her arms around her own waist and looked around. She couldn't think properly yet. Whatever happened minutes ago was unexplainable. Sam never backed down, especially if it was torturing Freddie, a nub that was nothing but a nuisance. A nuisance who followed Carly like her tail, agreeing to her every wish. He had no will power, no personality, no self-respect!

"Shit!" She breathed, walking deeper into the green field. Why couldn't she hit him? Maybe it was the look on his face; he was scared, scared of Sam. She shook her head.

It had never stopped her before. She enjoyed torturing the dork; it gave her power over him. What could be the reason for this madness? Sam had to find out and hopefully Carly could help her. She had to get back.

Freddie was still standing. His thoughts were blurred and he couldn't understand what could have stopped Sam from hurting him. Did she feel sorry for him? Was she finally starting to understand that violence wasn't a legitimate way of solving problems?

Freddie walked outside despite it being against his mother's wishes. He walked around aimlessly, looking for something without knowing what it was.

Sam was on her way back. She walked fast, tears were streaming down her face and she didn't know why. She couldn't cry over Freddie, no matter what the reason was.

"You're in love with him" "You're in love with him" "You're in love with him" was what her mind repeated as she hurried back to Carly's loft.

She was so close, and yet there was an obstacle. It was Freddie. He walked in strange zigzags, his hands in his pockets, looking down. Sam couldn't let him see her like this. Unable to think properly, crying and probably looking like a complete ruin. However, the meeting was inevitable.

Sam tried to pass by without Freddie noticing her, but that didn't work. He grabbed her by her arm just as soon as he saw the blonde hair whooshing past.

"Sam?" He asked, standing in front of her.

"What do you want, nub?" She answered with a question, the tears rolling down her face at a faster speed. She couldn't look up at him, not after what happened.

"What happened back there?" Freddie tried, his voice shaky and hoarse. He noticed the tears.

"Nothing happened." Sam retorted, wiping her eyes and looking up at him. "I spared your life!" She exclaimed, a fake smile appeared on her face. "You should thank me!"

"Thanks" He said, staring into Sam's watery eyes. "I just- why did you do it?"

Sam shook her head vigorously. "I don't know." She whispered, and walked away.

"Wait!" Freddie called after her, but she was already running.

Even though his muscles were sore and his head was breaking in two, Freddie ran after her, heaving as he did so. He grabbed her by her arm once more, and spun her around.

"Sam, what are you doing?" He demanded.

Sam looked at him with fear adorning her features. She breathed just as heavily as he.

"Leave me alone!" Sam yelled at Freddie, covering her face with the sleeves of her top. "Just leave me alone!" she repeated, trying to get out of his grip. He became much stronger over the past year.

"I won't until you tell me what's going on" He pressed on, nails digging into Sam's forearm.

"I am not telling you because I don't know anything myself." She retorted, looking away from Freddie's face. Sam was self-conscious about how she looked around him now.

"You must know something." Freddie said, turning Sam to face him. She was angered.

"I just said, I don't know what happened." Sam yelled into his face. "I just, I just couldn't hit you." She said. "Carly said something stupid about me, well, falling in love with you or something. It's a total pile of bullshit!" She continued yelling "And now her words are repeated in my head like a broken tape record."

Freddie stared at her, his brown eyes aghast.

"It's all crap!" Sam swore. "I could never in a million years love you! Not even if you were the last male on Earth!" She continued, shaking her head and throwing her arms around.

"Not even if I was the last male on Earth?" He asked.

"Not even then!" Sam yelled back, "Now let go of me, freak!"

Freddie had no intentions of doing so. Something, he didn't know what it was, but something was making him act upon impulse. He fought with his thoughts, but at that moment it felt like an organ other than the brain was controlling him. He pulled Sam closer, stared into her surprised blue orbs, and kissed her, right on the lips.

Sam stared at him; she didn't kiss back. She pushed Freddie away and started running into the opposite direction.

Sam ran all the way to Carly's apartment, using the stairs. She heaved as she threw the door open.

"Freddie tried to kiss me!" She yelled at Carly, who was watching television.

"What?" Carly exclaimed, jumping off the couch in an instant. "He what?"

"He tried to kiss me!" Sam bellowed "While he was sick!"

Carly smiled.

"That's your main problem?"

"No, but it's one of them!" Sam yelled from the bathroom, scrubbing her face with soap. "I don't want to be infected!"

"O.k.…" Carly rolled her eyes. "Did you kiss him back?"

"Of course not!" Sam yelled "What was he thinking?" She continued "I have to kill him now! Kill him!"

"Sam, I think you're overreacting again." Carly reasoned walking up to the bathroom where Sam was still scrubbing her face. It was red.

"I am not!" Sam yelled "No one tries to kiss me and survives!"

Carly rolled her eyes. It seemed as though Sam was forgetting something.

"You two did kiss before, and you liked it!" she reminded.

Sam's eyes shot open. "It was different. I, I…" She gulped "I agreed to that kiss."

Freddie walked home in awe. He was confused and sick and tired. Why did he kiss Sam Puckett, of all people, and why now? He couldn't control his actions and when he stared into her eyes, he felt like he was on the top of a mountain; high and free. There was something wrong with him, something really wrong. On the way home, Freddie could think of nothing but how soft Sam's lips felt, and how her eyes shone with anger, and desirable she was in that state.

Sam struggled with her words as she summarized what happened to Carly. She twiddled her thumbs and walked around the room in annoyance.

"I think that Freddie likes you." Was Carly's final verdict. "He followed you, then stopped you from running away, demanded an answer and then kissed you." She said "It all works out!"

"No, no no!" Sam yelled "That's a pile of shit!" She paced around some more "And in any case, Freddie is totally in love with you."

"I've highly doubted it since last year!" Carly confessed, her gaze followed Sam around the room.

"It still doesn't make any sense!" Sam retorted "He hates me for torturing him all the time. That's how it should stay!"

"I always say that there is a thin line between love and hate!" Carly laughed.

"It's not funny. If he's in love with me then I have to make him fall out of love." Sam said, plopping herself down beside Carly "Literally!"

"Whatever you like!" her friend said, hiding the large smile on her face with her hands.

Sam had decided that she would make Freddie's life so horrible that he would end up hating her for the rest of his life. She would torture him day in and day out; making sure that there isn't one moment of his day when he's not suffering. This plan was perfect.

"I'll make him pay for that kiss!" She said with a laugh.

Freddie was in his room, lying in his bed, thinking about Sam. Her face wouldn't leave him, not even for a moment, and he wasn't sure if he hated it. Her eyes were just as bright in his memory as they were in real life, and he marveled at how much he enjoyed kissing Sam. He had pretended then, that he didn't like it at all, that it was wrong and that he really only loved Carly, but now all these thoughts were crumbling down and Freddie was beginning to realize that the one person he really loved was actually Sam Puckett, a well known sadist.

**A.N. Urg. I really hate this chapter; I think it sounds stupid and I obviously can't write people in love. (I've never been in love so I don't really know how it feels.) In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter, at least somewhat. **


	7. Three Times the Charm!

Sam was once again, despite Carly's general disapproval, planning on defeating Freddie. Carly had tried explaining that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea, but Sam refused to think about it twice.

"I've got something that will make him wish he could kiss a fish!" Sam rhymed, laughing at her own joke. Carly only rolled her eyes.

Freddie was standing in front of his own door, debating whether to visit Carly and risk finding Sam there, or to just stay home. In both cases, he would have to face her; either in person, or in his head like he's been doing for the past half a day. Freddie was beginning to think that facing Sam wouldn't be as hard as he'd imagined, though it might just be worse. With Sam you never knew; it was part of the thrill of falling in love with her. Finally deciding on going through with his original plan, Freddie entered the hallway and then knocked on the door to Carly's loft.

"Come in, nub!" He heard Sam say from the inside. With confidence, Freddie swung the door open and-

"What the hell?" He screamed, a bucket of frozen water spilling on his head just as he walked in. "I was just sick!"

Carly was holding out a towel, on her face was the look of sympathy. "Sorry" she whispered, glancing at Sam who was laughing her rear end off. Freddie sighed. He had underestimated Sam's ability to make anyone hate her.

Just to prove that he wasn't affected by the blow, Freddie moved Sam's legs off of the couch, and sat himself there instead. Sam gave him a death glare, but he didn't move.

Freddie had cracked Sam; he realized, and perhaps too late, that Sam had intended a war. And if that's what she wanted, that is what she'll get.

"You're getting me wet!" Sam bellowed, pushing Freddie away from her arm.

"I wouldn't be if you didn't spill water on me" Freddie said calmly.

"I wouldn't if you-" Sam was yelling back "Oh yea! I would do it anyways."

Freddie nodded "Yea, I figured!" He grinned.

"You figured what?" Sam exclaimed, rising from the couch. Freddie raised his eyebrows. "Uh, forget about it!" Sam said and left to check on the ribs that she was cooking.

She was really irritated. It seemed as though Freddie was taking advantage of her weakness. "Wait, what weakness?" she reminded herself, rolling her eyes as she did so. Sam didn't have a weakness, especially not that stupid kiss with Fredward. Then, why was it bothering her so much?

"The ribs are done!" Sam announced, closing the oven as she carried them out. Freddie was first to appear, and Carly was calling Spencer who was apparently somewhere on the second floor.

Sam eyed Freddie, then tipped over a glass of lemonade that was conveniently standing on the table. The liquid spilled all over the counter and then trickled onto Freddie's lap.

"What the hell?" Freddie exclaimed, jumping off of the chair in an instant. "What'd you do that for?"

"To remind you that you're a dork" Sam explained, placing the ribs on the table. "Why don't you go get us plates?" She ordered and Freddie got up to do just that. However, even there, something was waiting for him. When he opened the cupboard, a plate fell right by his feet, breaking into hundreds of tiny pieces. They scattered all over the kitchen.

"You are insane, Sam!" Freddie said, picking up the shards. "You just don't know when to stop!"

"Neither do you!" Sam exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. "You are just a-"

"A what?" Freddie pressed on

"Guys, seriously!" Carly interrupted, hands crossed in front of her chest. "Let's eat the ribs. Spencer is joining us in a second." Seconds later she questioned "Who broke the plate?"

"Fredward did it!" Sam burst out, filling her mouth with meat. Freddie and Carly rolled their eyes.

Finally, after another three hours and a dozen more pranks, Freddie was too fed up to talk.

"We should rehearse for iCarly tomorrow!" He suggested, leaving the Shay apartment, then tripping over something that was in the way. He cursed under his breath, looked at Sam, who was laughing uncontrollably, and went back inside. Freddie walked up to Sam, grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her fiercely. This took her by shock and she threw Freddie across the room.

"Are you out of your mind?" Freddie yelled, holding his back while trying to get up. "You've been hurting me every other minute." He continued, "Don't you think it's time to stop already?"

"Nah!" Sam laughed "I enjoy teasing you, nub!"

"This isn't teasing anymore!" Freddie went on. He glanced at Carly who was slowly heading to the elevator. Even she didn't want to have anything to do with this.

"Pah-lease!" Sam laughed, nibbling on the last rib. "This is the way mama does it!"

Freddie sighed "I don't know why I even bother!" He said "It's pointless trying to be civil with you."

"You know what else is pointless?" Sam retorted "You trying to kiss me yesterday! That was pointless!"

Freddie's eyes widened; Sam had brought it up voluntarily.

"Is this what this is about?" He questioned and Sam fell silent.

"No, it's not!" She said calmly and walked out the door.

Obviously, the kiss was exactly what this whole thing was about. He was already regretting it.

Carly had appeared from behind the staircase seconds after Sam left. She gave Freddie a "told you so" look and patted him on the back.

"She'll get around to accepting it!"

"After she kills me, maybe…" Freddie said irritably.

"I meant, she'll get around to accepting the feelings she has for you."

"I doubt any feeling other than disgust could exist for me." Freddie muttered "She wouldn't even care if I died."

Carly laughed.

"You'd think that you were used to being rejected by people you love."

Sam was in her room, clipping her toenails. Her position was highly uncomfortable, but she's been procrastinating this so much that the nails had broken and were hurting. There was a knock on the door, and she opened it, expecting her mother to be back from running errands. Instead, she saw Freddie. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want, dorky dork?" Sam asked, staring him down.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." He said calmly.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sam exclaimed, guessing how the conversation would start. She tried slamming the door on Freddie, but he held it open.

"It's important!" He stressed.

"Fine, fine!" Sam mumbled "Come in, but don't make yourself at home." Freddie nodded and followed Sam into her messy room.

"Listen, I came here because I wanted to say s-" He began, only to be interrupted by Sam.

"Want some bacon?" She asked, handing him a plate.

"No!" Freddie exclaimed "Pay attention. I am only saying this once."

Sam felt nauseous, she guessed that Freddie was going to say something, something, something about-

"I want to apologize for what happened yesterday." Freddie said "I realize that the kiss might have made you seriously uncomfortable and that's why you are trying to prove otherwise, by acting "usual", which is really not your usual self." He finished. Sam looked at him with her eyes wide open, her mouth a large O.

"What you said is completely wrong." She retorted angrily.

"Oh sure, Sam! Don't try to pretend otherwise. We, nubs are really good at cracking people's evil plans."

"I doubt it, since you've got my evil plan completely wrong."

"Was that even an evil plan, or were you acting upon your anxiety?" Freddie questioned, cornering Sam on the bed.

"Stop it!" She yelled "I did not feel uncomfortable or anything!" Freddie raised an eyebrow.

"I just thought you were a big idiot and wanted to teach you a lesson!" She said confidently. "Those who mess with mama, mess with death!"

"I still don't believe you!" Freddie pressed on. "But it doesn't matter. I came here to apologize and that's what I will do."

"I do _not_ feel weird because of that kiss!" Sam yelled, flailing her arms in frustration.

"Then prove it and-" Freddie said, but was interrupted.

"Fine!" Sam yelled, leaned in and kissed Freddie on the mouth just as he did the day before. Freddie's eyes widened. When he said to prove it, he meant for Sam to stop torturing him, but this was, maybe, just a little better.

Eventually, Sam pulled away, a big smile on her face.

"How's that for proof?" She asked, pushing Freddie out of the way and jumping off the bed." Check it out! Not a hint of nervousness!" Sam said proudly.

"Yea, not a hint" Freddie murmured, his face scarlet. He got off and after saying a quick bye, headed out the door. He was unexplainably confused.

Sam on the other hand, congratulated herself of showing Freddie that she didn't feel weird about the kiss, but only proved to herself that she did. When Freddie went out the door, Sam's face was as red as beet soup and soon she started feeling paranoid about Freddie thinking that she only kissed him because she wanted to. Sam paced around her room, jumping over piles of dirty clothes and spoilt food. "I am getting in way over my head!" she said to herself.

Freddie walked home in a daze. Sam had just kissed him, sure it was only to show him that she wasn't nervous about the kiss yesterday, but it was still legitimate. His breathing quickened and he felt like he was the king of the world.

"I don't think I was ever this happy" Freddie reasoned, entering through the doors to Bushwell Plaza.

**A.N. Thank you guys for reviewing and reading. I find Sam and Freddie to be a perfect match for each other, because both sort of fill in what the other is missing. It's kind of cute. :3 Take care!**


	8. Couch Fight!

Sam was heading to Carly Shay's apartment; she was angry and irritable. When her friend opened the door, Sam greeted her wordlessly, and threw herself on the couch.

"What's up?" Carly asked, towering over her friend.

"I want to kill Fredward." Sam answered plainly. Carly furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"Because…because…" Sam stuttered "He's such an annoying brat!" She spat angrily.

"O.k, what did he do again?" Carly questioned, pouring Sam a glass of juice.

"He-" Sam began "Dammit!" She cursed. Carly watched her struggle with her words.

"The nub came to apologize to me about the stupid kiss, and while trying to prove to him that I wasn't weirded out by it, I kissed him again, and-" Sam confessed "I think I really liked it!" Her face turned red, but Carly didn't know whether it was from anger or embarrassment.

"And…?" Carly asked with a grin.

"I can't allow myself to like Fredork!" Sam yelled out passionately "He's annoying and strange and he says random things and he has that annoying smile when he thinks he beat me and then he always-"

"Sam!" Her friend interrupted. "You have to allow yourself to take chances, to take risks in life!"

"I do take risks!" Sam argued.

"Not emotional risks, you don't!" Carly pressed on "Listen to yourself. You want to kill someone who you love just because you're confused!"

"I don't love Freddie!" Sam yelled "I don't even want to talk about him; he's not worth it!"

"Sam, don't lie to yourself." Carly said calmly "They way you talk about him, the way you tease him and finally how much he affects your mood only speaks of the-"

Sam starred at her friend with her sea blue eyes.

"Fine!" She said reluctantly "I guess you're right. But, I am going to change it."

Freddie was sitting on his bed; he couldn't stop grinning to himself. Not only did Sam make it obvious that she acted weird because of that kiss, but she repeated it. There was no way for her to pretend that she didn't like it, or didn't want it either. Freddie jumped off the bed and walked over to the Shay's apartment.

"Hey!" He greeted, startling both Sam and Carly. Sam was lying on the couch.

"What are you doing here, nub?" She asked, forcing herself to sit up.

"Oh, nothing. Just came to visit Carly, that's all." Freddie said teasingly. He grinned as Sam's face grew red.

"I was talking with her!" Sam said harshly. "Not that it matters to a nub like you." She added in a whisper.

"Talking about what?" Freddie asked slyly "About me?"

Sam's eyes widened at Freddie's newfound confidence.

"Don't flatter yourself." She retorted, falling back on the couch with ease. Carly smiled as she filled three glasses with orange juice. They were acting as though they were already dating.

Freddie walked to the couch and threw Sam's legs off, sitting himself down beside her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sam yelled, throwing her legs on Freddie.

"I was just-" He began.

"Hey old married couple, I've got some drinks!" Carly interrupted, like she always did.

Both Sam and Freddie looked at her with bitter face expressions.

"Fredward here thinks that he has some right to push my legs off the couch." Sam said, giving Freddie a death glare.

"This is my couch anyways" Carly reminded both of her friends. "And I allow Freddie to throw your legs off!" She smiled at Sam who huffed with anger.

Three hours went by and Carly and Spencer were out, buying smoothies. Sam thought it was very suspicious that Carly just had to go and help Spencer; usually she would leave him to the smoothie purchasing. Sam sat as far as possible from Freddie; she got strange vibes from him. Saying nothing, Sam ate her ham, stealing glances at Freddie's handsome profile. She mentally cursed herself for thinking of Freddie as handsome.

"I'll turn on the radio." Freddie said, cutting the tension between them.

"Yea, you do that!" Sam agreed, fidgeting with a slice of ham. Since when was she so shy and quiet.

Freddie turned on the radio and sat back on the couch. The radio played a cheerful song in the background.

Freddie stirred around and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and waited. Sam watched him curiously, wandering what exactly he was doing.

"And now, call in people to request a song for someone special! One hour of tunes, just for you!" The voice in the radio shouted ecstatically. "And we've got our fist caller!"

Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Hello, what's your name?" The voice asked.

"Freddie."

Sam's blue eyes widened; Freddie called the radio station to request a song. She watched him stutter the words.

"I want to request a song for a friend who's really annoyed with me right now." Freddie said, his voice was repeated on the radio instantly.

"What's the song?" The voice asked.

"Running away by AM"

"Great choice! And this friend, you sure it's just a friend?" The voice asked slyly.

"Uhh…" Freddie stuttered "Actually, she's not just a friend, she's more than that. It's hard to explain though." He added, his lips quivering.

"I knew it! Good luck to both of you and here's the song!" The voice said, chuckling. The song started playing right after.

Freddie hung up and dared not look at Sam. Sam on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at Freddie. Somewhere deep inside, she hoped that this "friend" was her, but he didn't mention her name.

"That was for Carly, right?" Sam asked, scared of hearing the answer.

"What?" Freddie exclaimed, surprised at Sam's question.

"The song request was for Carly. The more than just a friend thing." She explained, looking away from him in embarrassment. Freddie signed, obviously annoyed but at the same time, relieved.

"No, Sam." He said, raising his voice. Sam looked at him, confused. "The song request was for you." Freddie added quietly, blushing.

All of a sudden all air seemed to leave Sam's lungs and the airways were closed. She felt as though she was breathing through a straw. Sam was excited, scared, glad, confused and relieved all at the same time. She would hurt a lot of he had said that it was for Carly, but she was still very confused with her own feelings, not to mention Freddie's words.

"For me?" Sam echoed "Why?"

Freddie sighed. "Because, Sam, because…" He paused "You are so clueless for such a smart person."

"What do you mean, clueless?" Sam asked loudly.

"Sam, isn't it obvious that I long ago forgot about the feelings I had for Carly." He asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know." Sam retorted "I am not an expert on feelings."

"Obviously." Freddie said irritably.

"What do you mean, obviously?" Sam asked, getting off the couch with haste. She was getting irritated.

"What I mean is that I like _you_ now!" Freddie yelled. "If you could understand people's feelings you would already know."

"So you think you can just move on from Carly to me?" Sam yelled back, offended at Freddie's remarks.

"That's not how it is!" Freddie retorted.

"Really?" Sam yelled angrily "That's not how I see it!"

"Sam, that's not-" Freddie was trying to elaborate.

"I am a person too" Sam interrupted. "and I have feelings. Just because you need someone else to obsess over doesn't mean that it should be me!"

"But Sam, I didn't want it to seem like I jumped from one of my friends to the other. I'm just beginning to really like you and-"

"I don't care, Fredward!" Sam interrupted again, and this time, she walked out of the Shay apartment without looking back.

Freddie felt horrible. Just to think that a couple hours ago he was happy and excited to do something nice for Sam. He couldn't forgive himself for thinking that Sam could change her wicked ways, if only for a moment. It was useless. Loving her was useless. Trying to get her to understand was also useless.

Sam was walking down the crowded street. People passed her by, and she felt like she was such a small part of this world that it didn't even matter whether she existed or not. Her role in this society was less than just minimal. It was non-existent. Sam felt deflated, like all the happiness was sucked out of her by a simple word. She knew that it was all too good, and now she was angry with Freddie. He had given her hopes and then crushed them. Or was she too naïve to think that Freddie would pick her willingly; she was after all, Sam Puckett, a well known sadist.

Carly and Spencer came home with four large smoothies, but realized that no one was sitting on the couch. Spencer smiled happily, murmuring something about finally having the couch to himself; Carly on the other hand was worried that Sam and Freddie fought. She had left the two friends together so that they could finally get together, but feared that something worse had happened. She left the apartment and knocked on Freddie's door. He opened reluctantly.

"Hey!" She greeted. Freddie let her in. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" He said as he threw himself on the couch.

"It doesn't really look like nothing."

"Well it is!" Freddie exclaimed angrily.

"You sure?" Carly pressed on

"Fine!" Freddie yelled. "Sam hates me, ok?"

Carly raised an eyebrow. "Did she say that?"

"No!" Freddie answered "But she didn't have to say it for it to be clear!" He added.

Carly only sighed. Sam seemed to be digging her own grave.

**A.N. Guys, I am really sorry for not updating for those couple of days. I am in the middle of a move and it's hard for me to find any time for actual writing. That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue reading this. I dare say that it will not be much longer until both of them are together. :3 **


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